[Discussion] Post-Election Optimistic Hope-All

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This thread is for positive posts for how we'll get by after the 2016 US election. Articles about how we've been through worse and survived, analysis that points to there being a way forward, maybe even distractions.

I know this thread may seem insane given what's happening across the forum, but there have been posts in the US 2016 election thread that gave me some hope. Right now I feel similar to the way I felt after 9/11. I feel numb and frustrated and depressed and anxious. It's a really toxic mix and it's not healthy for me. I need something to soothe me so maybe later I'll be able to get back into the proverbial fight. Until I feel steady enough to do that, though, I'd love to read, listen to or watch something, anything that says this might not be the end as we know it. If this thread stays empty, then so be it. But I think it would be nice if there was one thread, a catch-all for hope.

Otherwise, it is mostly on a personal level for me. I stopped reading BBC a while ago because it was All Trump All the Time, but now that the actual election process is over I feel free to go back and see what's going on in the world. For example, India removing 500 and 1,000 rupee notes from circulating and the resulting crisis. I like knowing what happens in the rest of the world. I may have waited too long to take an interest and thus there are so many countries and people and concepts I don't know, but it is nice to see what the current state of the world is, how that might impact us, and what we might be able to do to help or to avoid said problems in our own country.

To coincide, this election I decided to put some real time into digging into the State and Regional level of the election as well, where I found the politicians much more favorable. While a lot of the people I voted for, especially in the more important positions, lost out, I still feel like my vote does matter. Something I've never really felt in the past and always dissuaded me from voting. I feel shame in waiting so long to do the mature, adult thing and take my vote seriously, but better late than never.

This also came with an additional personal relief. I tend to lean right. I don't exactly like this, because I don't like the idea of being affiliated with any political party. Facebook and Twitter have been a real struggle lately, because even though people on both sides are really frustrating me, just knowing so many more people on the Left and seeing them respond to what they perceive as hate with more hate just aggravates me. But, despite my fears of being pushed to one side, of being shoved into an extreme, my ballot was pretty evenly divided. Half was Democrat, half was Republican, and in the end what mattered to me was where someone came in on the issues.

I consider this a real relief, because I've been struggling and praying to be as tolerant and open-minded as I possibly can, even when I feel people are being hypocrites or are just being ignorant. I've had so many knee-jerk reactions in the past and shot off at the mouth so often, actions that I now regret when I look back at them. All my life I have matured slowly, and in an effort to regain control of myself and to simply be a better person, it is valuable to me to remember that everyone, no matter how much I disagree with them, is a human being that has their reasons.

And the strife of this election, as much as it has tempted me to be a bitter and angry asshole, to join some of my friends in vicious snark or to just push further and further to the right for no better reason than an emotional response, has ultimately been an obstacle I've mostly overcome. I've stumbled, and I still struggle, but I know I can be a better person because of all of this.

And just in case anyone is wondering: No, I don't like Trump, and I don't consider a "victory over Democrats" a good thing since I prefer an even balance. I am anxious. But perhaps having a family that has predicted a socialist dystopia since day one of Obama's time in office has prepared me for things to turn out alright after all.

Well said Ccesarano. If anyone has some words of wisdom on how to shake hands and heal with those close friends and family who chose the other side, I'd love to hear them. I completely get that many people voted not so much for Trump as against Hillary and the problems with cronyism and big money politics. I can definitely forgive that, as compared to say somebody voting for Trump to start stringing up brown people. It just feels especially hard this election to say GG and try to put aside disagreements and move forward.

Stewart Mills, a sniveling worm of a man and wealthy trust fund POS, was defeated yet again by Rick Nolan for my representative in spite of an insane amount of outstate money being poured in the district.

But, he got a haircut and chopped wood. What more do you rubes want?

Some of his commercials were literally the Jonah Ryan commercial from Veep.

From January on, Republicans now own their policy failures, and they can't pretend it's all the fault of Dems.

They will blame everything on eight years of Obama and you know what? It will work because it's exactly what people who voted for this clown want to hear. I work with two very staunch Trump supporters, neither of which like or admire him, but both voted for him anyway because they were fed up with 8 years of Obama.

Hat tip to docbadwrench:

Remembering that O'Rouke quote: "Republicans are the party that tells you government doesn't work then gets elected and proves it"

Might be late to the party but his Muslim Ban has been removed from his website.. Some of his more "fervent" supporters might take umbrage with this... if he rolls back the wall.. he might think about doubling his security detail.

Aint nothing new about the world order..it's been playing since the day they put George Washington on a quarterDelivering Truth while the 10% deliver lies.

Might be late to the party but his Muslim Ban has been removed from his website.. Some of his more "fervent" supporters might take umbrage with this... if he rolls back the wall.. he might think about doubling his security detail.

I fully expect that 75-90% of what he "promised" during the election will just be ignored. Will he really bring manufacturing jobs to the rust belt? Not without huge tariffs to products from China - that that will raise the hell out of prices we pay for stuff. And his only constant that I can see is money. He won't do it because it would cost money.

The path is a wild mountain road. As far as the occupation of our mind is concerned, the chaos of the path is the fun. —

The thing that's brought me the most comfort is that a country isn't its president, a country is its people. And the people aren't really any different today then they were when Obama was elected.

The actual white supremacists, homophobes, rapists, fascists and other scum are going to feel validated. But those people were going to exist regardless of who won and we were going to have to deal with that. And we will. We've driven them back underground before and we can do it again. It's not fair or right that we have to do that, but we can and will.

The people who ignored Trump's worst qualities because they believed he would bring them change they wanted were also going to exist no matter what. Those people can be reached, they are not lost. Their pain is real and Democrats need to own up to the fact that we didn't do a great job of addressing it. If Trump fails them, which he likely will, that gives us an opportunity. And if I'm wrong and Trump somehow doesn't fail them? That's good in its own way.

The people who fought against Trump and the most bigoted parts of his platform are also still here. Trump can and likely will roll back social progress but he isn't going to roll back everyone's mind. People who love and accept their LGBT friends aren't going to suddenly turn on them because Mike Pence tells them to. This is a time for solidarity, for allies to do their parts.

Speaking of which, I'd like to get involved in more social or political volunteering because we're sure going to need it. Anyone here have advice or anecdotes?

The people who ignored Trump's worst qualities because they believed he would bring them change they wanted were also going to exist no matter what. Those people can be reached, they are not lost. Their pain is real and Democrats need to own up to the fact that we didn't do a great job of addressing it. If Trump fails them, which he likely will, that gives us an opportunity. And if I'm wrong and Trump somehow doesn't fail them? That's good in its own way.

I'm so happy that people who feel strongly about the election results are getting out there and making their voices heard. There are some real problems that we are going to have to face in the next few years, and we can't just give up on the progress this country has made.

However, I'm not as happy with the message that's being sent right now from the voices on the street. Chanting "Not My President" and "Give me back my Democracy" assumes two contradictory things - that you want a Democracy, but don't want to accept the results when they don't go your way. The message these protests need to send is about resisting the hate, bigotry, and all the -isms that have surfaced during the campaign cycle.

Want to debate the fairness of the electoral college? Fine. Want to demonstrate that you're not going to put up with intolerance and fear? Good!

But please, don't let the message be heard that, because your preferred candidate didn't win, that you don't believe it's a Democracy anymore. This has all the echoes of the Tea Party movement's knee-jerk anger-and-fear fueled reaction to what they believed was a foreign-born Muslim man of color becoming their president.

I get it, you don't like him. But don't give in to the irrational belief that your pseduo-rejection of him as your democratically elected leader is anything more than catharsis. It's time to take that fear and anger and turn it into a positive force for change. As long as we don't give up the belief in our Democracy, there will always be another election.

That is very encouraging. The problem with keeping the pre-existing clause in isolation is that being able to get insurance that you can't afford is still not a solution. But I am finding reason for optimism with Trumps backpedaling on a lot of his pre-election policies.

SallyNasty: Docjoe is a man of erudition and enlightenment, worthy of praise and respect!